Impey
by Imsi
Summary: A wounded Elite child is found stranded upon a human planet that at the moment is being brutally attacked by the Covenant. One marine does the unthinkable: he rescues it. Perhaps there are still marines out there who hold on to their humanity and idiocy.
1. Foundling

Chapter 1: Foundling

"_I will show you fear in a handful of Dust"_

There was dust. Dark particles danced through the air obscuring the midday sun. Perhaps to a few, that might have given some relief from the scorching heat, but to Lance Corporeal William Johnston, it was simply cover for the enemy. At the present moment, he was retreating, hopefully in the right direction. Separated from his unit, he blundered through the thick smog. At any moment, he might just collide with a member of the Covenant or trip over a sleeping Grunt. (No matter how unlikely that might seem, it has happened before). Perhaps he was surrounded by Elites; perhaps he was alone. No light pierced through the dust. Moving his stiff leather boots, he shuffled across the ground uncertainly. _It's not the time to be worried,_ he thought. _A bit too late. Either I'm right or wrong. Judging by my karma, I'm probably wrong._

If Johnston was fighting against humans, smoke might have been to his advantage. He would not be able to see the enemy but the enemy would not be able to see him. However, Jackal's eyes could see through the thickest smog. That was one reason why they were stationed as snipers. One could be aiming at him right now…

His boots made clacking noises on the ground; the glassy ground. That might have been a bit odd as he was outdoors. _Out, in the open, without cover. _However, once a part of a planet was glassed, the ground might as well be a mirror. This planet was fortunate. The Covenant had not finished glassing. They were methodical and thorough but for unknown reasons, they had stopped halfway. Communications had been down for some time and news was never reliable to begin with. William suspected something had happened in space that he had missed.

_"Death at ten paces"_

Walking along the mirror like ground, dust swirled around him. It rose up in the air, blanking out his vision soundly. _Dust and darkness. _The dust never agitated his already dry and sore eyes, it 

only added to his confusion. After he walked about ten paces without dying, or seeing any purple lancing beams, he was confident there were no snipers. The marine hesitated for a moment. His sense of direction was completely messed up in this smoke. Pausing briefly, he made a decision and pitched a few flash grenades, evenly distributing them around him. He cleared the smoke enough to see glimpses of the sun. Finally, the dust cleared fully and all he saw was glass.

The grenades might have killed him. Had there been any enemies around him, he would be nothing more than a quivering heap of flesh. Perhaps he would be glowing green from all the plasma radiation. Maybe they wouldn't waste any gun energy on him. They might just crush him underfoot like they did to Robert… A lone marine stranded from his base could just be the target of the controversial (especially to those who are the 'ball') Covenant recreational sports that really needed the visit from an ethical community. However, if he had never used the grenades, he might never have known he was walking the wrong way: to the enemy camps. That was practically suicide, not even an option.

His presumptions of any hidden Elites or other members of the Covenant were wrong as he could now see. Endless glass stretching for miles was all he could see; until he saw a spot of green, perhaps ten miles away. It was the direction of his base.

All over the glassed city, where the previous battle was was covered in bodies. Some were new; they were turned inside out. Body organs were on the wrong side of the body. Intestines were exposed to light and reminded Johnston of spaghetti. Twisty, noodles… _Twisted and mangled remains haunted him in his dreams. _They had died after the glassing during the battle. However, others were charred, bones twisted into horrific images. He recognized that some of the cadavers were Grunts. Too wounded to move away from the glassing when the time came, they had died a fiery painful death. _Or perhaps,_ he mused. _A quick death. Less than a second before their foreheads melted into their eyes and their stomachs melted to- _He shook his head. His mind was wandering as minds so often do when alone on a battlefield.

Unlike most marines, he could summon a slight sadness for the Grunts that had burned. Were they as religiously bound as the Elites? Were they really religious fanatics? Or were they forced into battle? Wars were so much more different and logical in the past when humans fought each other over land. The foot soldiers, the ones that suffered in the trenches for their countries, could feel pity for the opposing side. They were all pawns in politics. Just the generals' way of taking land. However, most, if not all, sentiments were banished when the other side was bombing your trench and you were quivering so much that you might just piss your pants. Such emotion did not even exist in in their war against the Covenant. Each bloody Elite might as well be a bloody general. They did not even want your land. There was no reasonable purpose to this bloody idiotic war. Each Elite hated you to your very atoms and each one was such a religious zealot bastard that they killed you because their leaders asked them to. Asked them! It was not so much of an order. They were doing it of their own free will. And their objective? It was not really to steal planets from the UNSC was it? It was to exterminate all humans. Johnston gritted his teeth. _Extermination_. He understood the logic in conquering but 'Exterminate?'

When an alien species hated you that much, you just couldn't feel sorry for them as you felt sorry for the opposing side in World War I. _Such a long way back. We, humans, can never evolve to understand that war is wrong. But this should not be our war. For once, we didn't start it. _

Each mere foot soldier, perhaps even the civilians (if there were any) just seemed to have a personal vendetta against you. Not to your leaders, but you (and your leaders, come to think of it, because they are the same species as you. At least Johnston hoped that the orders he was carrying out on this god forsaken planet were given to him by humans and not some brainless gorillas. Most marines sometimes felt that their leaders were brainless gorillas. The sergeant was though… definitely…)

The very leaders of the Covenant did have a grudge against you. No politics. Just mindless genocide. _No wonder we don't have any empathy towards them,_ Will thought.

He had been walking for ten miles. His fear of snipers hidden in buildings was banished. There were no buildings in this desolate glass field. If you could call it a field. His foot finally hit still living ground and that was when he heard it. A whimper. Somebody was unsurprisingly injured. He looked around. The hot sun created stark shadows on the ground yet he could not find the source of the sound. The whimper sounded again and he reached for his gun. The cry of pain was not human.

The sound sounded off. It was too rough and high to be a human's whimper or the whimper of an animal that was indigenous to this planet. Unless the human had been smoking cigarettes since childbirth and was currently sucking in vast amounts of helium. Gears in his brain whirred slowly. He was dizzy, and just wanted to get back to base. If the whimper was not human, so it had to be Covenant.

The cry was too low to belong to a Grunt. He could have left and doubtless the Covenant member would have died but Johnston's nature was not very resourceful. He wandered towards a ditch where he supposed the sound had to be coming from. The whine sounded like it belonged to an Elite but he had never heard an Elite whine even when in pain. Elites just roared a lot and sometimes spewed harsh alien words when dealing with an injury. He moved closer to the ditch and the Elite sounded like it was sobbing now; a warbled voice whimpering.

_They are the enemy. _

_Not they, the bloodthirsty ones._

_They are all the same._

_No._

He slid down the trench. There _was_ an Elite, bare of armour, curled up and crying. At least William assumed it was. He was not an expert on the body language of alien species. However, he saw one distinguishing feature that explained why an honour bound; religious fanatic bastard was 

acting so uncharacteristically weak. The Elite was very unexpectedly, young. Lance Corporeal Johnston did not know why he was so surprised. Elites had to have gone through childhood, right?

William had fought countless Elites. The one curled up was nothing like the warriors he had faced. Its muscles were not as developed and its body was thin, almost lanky; disproportioned (for an Elite). It was also not very tall. Perhaps about 6 ft. Johnston had just found a child. An injured one as well. And for some reason, the Elite was on a planet, probably very far away from the Covenant home world. It wore no armour so it was obviously not part of the military. The Covenant did not recruit youngsters… William decided it had to be a stowaway. A child too young to join the military but eager to spill some human blood for some perverted religious ceremony made by those religious zealot bastards.

Though that was what William thought, his character did not allow him to leave an unprotected _child_ in a battle zone. A mere child, not responsible for its species' actions. Yet it was a stowaway, wanting to spill humans—our and my—blood. His mind screamed in protest as he applied bio-foam to the more serious of wounds and taped them up. As he tended to the Elite's wounds, he began to think. That child is a civilian. Perhaps one that did not agree to the war?

Every human soldier seemed to have an inbred hatred of any Covenant. Johnston was no exception. Yet, against all instincts, he picked up the quivering child and continued back to base.

Lance Corporeal William Johnston had principles; strong ones. No mere Elite Child who had never laid a claw on a human should die for the genocide its species had committed. Will was an idealist. Not exactly the ideal personality for a soldier. Idealists are after all the most stubborn fools and make irrational decisions.

_Only a foolish fool of a fool would so foolishly seek to save the foolish child of a foolishly foolish enemy who foolishly enjoys hanging fools up by their foolish entrails._

_I am that fool._

A/N I thank you; all of you for reading the last full stop of the last sentence of the last paragraph. Remember to review on your way out!


	2. A Moments Reminiscence

A/N remember to review on your way out

A Moment's Reminiscence

"What the hell?!" Private Blogg screamed. It was more in shock than anything else. The rage would definitely come at a later time once the weirdness of having a _Lance Corporal_ bring back an Elite wore off. "Why in God's name did you take back one of those **things**?"

"It was lying in a ditch! I couldn't just leave it there," Johnston was used to explaining himself to lower ranks. It was yet another character flaw in his already miserable idealist personality. William was much too nice and charitable for his own good especially to the disrespectful lower-ranked Private.

"Damn you, Will, when that _thing_ wakes up, I swear it will bloody well murder us all!"

"It's just a kid. Relax. One Elite is no match for all of us anyway. It's not like I brought back a Hunter or anything." True to his nature, Will, stayed calm as always.

"You probably would have if you could carry one," a new voice joined the conversation. It was another Corporal. Lucy Blue was one of the more reasonable people, newly promoted. "Will, you better get that thing in a holding cell somewhere before it wakes up. We'll deal with the consequences once the Sergeant gets back. Private James Blogg, I suggest you show more respect."

Lucy and Will were walking now; headed back into the base, leaving Blogg furious and redder faced than usual. "You really should learn to deal with people better," Lucy sighed, annoyed at her friends complacency.

Will avoided the question, "You do realize that Blogg loathes you right? You joined the army later than he did and got promoted much faster."

"Blogg hates everybody who has more brains than he does. That is why he hates the Covenant anyway… Don't change the subject…" Lucy first began until something clicked in her mind. 

She just realized what Corporal Johnston had done. "Since when were you nice enough to be doing community service for the Covenant?" Lucy's normally smooth tone was marred. She had put in almost every amount of hatred and fury in the single word 'Covenant'. Sometimes, her sudden mood swings were disconcerting.

"Um…" Will was smart enough to tread carefully. Corporal Blue's history was quite well known to him. She lost her entire family from a glassing. He was still a bit shocked that she had defended him against the Private and made no mention of the Elite. Well, she certainly was mentioning it now. "I dunno, it just seems pointless killing it. Like punishing a private for a General's war crimes…it's just a kid." He was babbling now. Great.

Blue sighed softly and brushed her hands over her cropped brown hair. "Somehow, if we even survive off this forsaken planet, I doubt _it_ would last that long." She looked pointedly at the other marines they had just passed. All their hands were on their weapons. Each one was already tense despite the fact that the Elite was clearly nothing more than a child. A six foot child. A six foot child with claws that could gut you open like a fish; not to mention the teeth. "I just hope the Covenant is paying you well for this babysitting service you're hosting…"

As Will laid the Elite child in the brig, Blue examined the wounds. "It's nothing too serious… We shouldn't bring her to the medics anyway. That is the last thing we need to do. More people knowing about the thing just leads to trouble… The biofoam should hold up."

William nodded. "Considering I just brought back the kid of an enemy that only takes the occasional prisoner to kill for sport, I'd say this news would spread real fast anyways."

Lucy continued on her thoughts. "So, what are we going to feed it?"

"Actually, I hadn't thought that far yet… I suppose Blogg should fit the Elite's diet of garbage."

Corporal Blue sighed. Sometimes, Will always made the oddest of statements that always seemed in contrast to his personality. "There are new supplies coming in. Would the MREs fit the definition of garbage?"

It was common knowledge what MREs really taste like; nothing like the chicken with gravy so appetizingly stencilled onto the packet.

MREs: **M**eals **R**ejected by **E**verybody

_**Somewhere far back in time and space**_

The location is dry and hot. The ground was made from stone. Stone that was cracked in many different places as the ground expanded from the heat. Despite the inhospitableness of the place, the greenery is quite thick. Plants grew out of the cracks on the ground. Each waxy oily leaf was a reddish colour and gave off a spicy scent. There are two figures upon the cracked stone field. One is a young Sangheili and the other, an older one and both of them are gathering leaves.

"Will I see Father again?" A childish voice spoke. Echoes of it bounced around the emptiness of the plain and the innocence of it seemed quite out of place coming from reptilian mandibles.

"Your Father is incredibly busy," the older Sangheili sighed softly. She clicked her mandibles in slight irritation from the frequency of her child's curious questions.

"He'll come," the young voice sounded confidant. "He promised this time that he would. And as usual, he'll come back with stories to tell! Like the last time he was on battle! He said he'll teach me. I want to go out and fight for the Prophets and gain honour for our family name." The Sangheili child's voice prattled on with dreams of glory etched in her head.

_Dark clouds are smouldering into red  
While down the craters morning burns.  
The dying soldier shifts his head  
_

_To watch the glory that returns;  
He lifts his fingers toward the skies  
Where holy brightness breaks in flame;  
Radiance reflected in his eyes,  
And on his lips a whispered name._

Will was leaning against one of the many crates in the brig. There were always crates in the army, he mused. He began to wonder if they contained anything useful. Everywhere you go, there were crates and more crates. Each one had no labels. He suspected the crates were there for people to move around in order to look busy. Deep in thought, a high pitched keening from a cell had him jumping for his gun.

"Huurrrghh…"

_Where am I? There was plasma flying everywhere… then darkness. _

_Just smoke and… _

_I think I fell asleep…_

_Father will be so disappointed in me._

A/N Thank you again for reading! Please, please, please review! It makes me so happy and motivated to continue writing!

DISCLAIMER: MOST OF THE POETRY WRITTEN THROUGHOUT MY STORY DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. THEY ARE ALL POEMS WRITTEN BY SOLDIERS DURING THE COURSE OF WARS. 


	3. Are you Hungry?

A/N Remember to review on your way out!

Are you Hungry?

_Click._

_That sound is familiar_, the Elite thought. _I heard it countless of times… in that hole I found or did I fall in? There were projectiles I'm sure of it. Primitive bits of metal that flew in the air and… my face. I think… I got hit. _

After awhile, the Elite child's head cleared a bit more. She really was wondering where she was now. Crawling up to a kneeling position, she nearly threw up as her head gave an awful jerk. "Uuurgk," she groaned before wondering why she was making such a weak and pathetic sound. _If I am ever to find my Father again, I must be strong. _

Will was on edge. The Elite was in a kneeling position and had just let out this horrific bark. It sounded quite angry. It wasn't that Johnston was scared of the kid. He was after all separated from it between steel bars designed to hold back a _full _grown Elite. However… he really was regretting his small act of charity. If the Elite did not cooperate, feeding it and taking care of it would be really hard.

It was a few moments before the Elite noticed the human. "A Human?" she said out loud. Perhaps in all her carelessness, she had let herself be captured.

It took about a second before Johnston's translator managed to interpret the simple words the Elite had spoken. _A Human._ It was not a normal thing for any Elite to say. Normally, they might have started cursing them and asking to be murdered than suffer the indignity of being stuck in a Human cell. The voice had sounded confused as if the Elite had never seen a Human close hand before.

"Kill me or release me. I have other business to attend to than waste away in your pathetic excuse for a cell. This is a primitive concrete cube. Even our toys are centuries ahead of this dump."

Ah, perhaps the Elite was not as docile towards Humansa_s he had thought._ It took about ten seconds before his translator wheezed out an adequate interpretation of the Elite's dialogue that did not include topics not suitable for people under the age of eighteen. _Damned literal translations…_ Clearly his translator needed new batteries. Elites never did use extraordinary foul words. Even this Elite kid spoke a lot more formally than half the marines stationed at base; he could tell that even through his crappy translation device.

"Look kid, you're injured. You're malnourished. If I let you out now, you won't survive ten seconds. Frankly, I don't give a sh-," Will paused for a bit before reconsidering his words. He murmured, "It's just a kid, just a kid." Under his breath to calm down before continuing, "It isn't really important that this cell is not exactly a five-star hotel, _if you know what that means. _We did not have comfort in mind when we built it. It was built to make you miserable but this is the only place you'll be safe from the others."

He stared at the Elite after his monologue. The Elite stared back. Johnston sighed, "Look, can you even understand what I'm saying?"

Clicking her mandibles until a sharp pain stopped her from doing so, the Elite replied annoyed, "My translation software is superior to your inferior garbage." Elite translation technology was after all implanted in her brain. "And, what did you mean by 'it'? I might be a child now but I certainly am not an 'it'." _Ugh… Not only is this Human as brainless as the cannon fodder, but my mouth really hurts… That blood on the ground… is it all mine? _

_Touchy,_ Johnston thought. _But a lot more civil than other members of the Covenant; it does bother talking about other matters that do not have to do with 'Skinning your very flesh of your bones should I not be released'. It made a nice change. Well, a change anyway, not exactly a nice one. _

"Fine, whatever. You're not an 'it'. You still have to eat something to stay alive. So, what do you Elites eat?"

"It's awake?" Lucy entered the brig.

"I am not an 'it' filthy Human scum."

"Charming personality for such a lovely kid," Lucy said turning to Johnston.

"Ah… the Elite just prefers to be referred to as 'he'"

"I _am _female," the Elite now interrupted the conversation.

An uncomfortable silence dropped among them. To both Will and Lucy, the Elite looked nothing like a female especially with the muscles that rippled across its arms.

"Definitely a stowaway," Lucy said just to fill in the silence.

The Elite was restless, pacing around the cell now.

"Let me out."

These humans were obviously going to try find out information about the Covenant. Information that only a member knew.

"Torture me you may, but no words will escape this mouth."

The humans exchanged a glance. Though the Elite thought it was disbelief that their torture methods would not work on her, the truth was that the translation technology was malfunctioning; again. Then, the Elite noticed SMGs hanging loosely hanging from their belts and shut up.

"What's going on around here?" A newcomer arrived in the brig.

"Sergeant!" Will breathlessly gasped. "I… I… Hi."

"You can save your greetings to the Covenant when I shove your sorry ass up there at the front line. Since when did we hold a babysitting service?"

"I… I…"

"It's an Elite this smart Alec brought back." Blogg had walked behind them silently. "Sergeant, suggest that we torture the scum for information, then kill it."

"Since when did we torture sentient beings? It's only a child for God's sake!" Will screamed.

"God? It's because of their God that the Covenant is knocking at our doorstep!"

"For your impudence, I am neither 'scum', nor child. I will not be referred to an 'it'. I am, indeed, female and I will not be referred to with such derogatory terms."

This translation took a full five seconds with largely noticeable errors. The sergeant sighed.

"Somme, please activate external translations." Somme was the base's AI.

"Activated, Sergeant."

Translations would now be a lot faster especially with Somme managing the interpretation itself. If the damned Elite didn't speak with such flowery terms, translation time would have been cut down by at least half.

"Okay then, Elite," the Sergeant began. "You are a child. Let us just get that fact over with. You are clearly underdeveloped in height and body wise so just accept that. Now, will you be answering a few questions we have?"

"No," she growled.

"Right, first question," he said ignoring the annoyed growls coming from the Elite. "Are you hungry?"

"What?! Have you lost your freaking mind? Feed the squid-face?" Blogg screamed in protest, fury distorting his features.

"I won't take any food from _you_. Filthy scum, you should be fitted to your rightful place—in the fiery wrath of the Prophets."

Blogg reached for his gun—a shotgun. Rushing forward, he slammed the weapon in the Elite's already bleeding mandibles. To the child's credit, she made no sound as a piece of mandible bone tore through her mouth. James Blogg was about to pull the trigger when Lucy pulled him back.

"Out, Private!" the Sergeant roared as Lucy punched Blogg in the gut and took his arm forcibly and brought him out. The Elite glared as he left.

"Let me out," the Elite continued.

The Sergeant sighed. "Look, split-lip. First, we are not going to let you out. Secondly, are you hungry?"

An eternity passed. Both Human and Elite stared at each other. Finally, the Elite gave a barely perceptible nod. "Perhaps."

"Get the MREs Johnston."

"Yes, sir," Johnston, relieved that the Sergeant did not react as badly as he had first thought, promptly left. _Though perhaps after the MREs, it'll probably wished it were tortured. _

As the Elite saw the Human leave and the other one settle down on the primitive crates, she finally slid down the wall, silently groaning. Her mouth really hurt. Her vision became blurred around the edges and she saw the human leap up as she slammed against the ground. Purple flecks of blood splattered the walls.

_"Esq, your Father… he is not coming back this time," Her Mother said softly._

_"He promised he would!"_

_"You know he is busy fighting far away in space. You are very lucky he even visits us at all. Most of our Warriors do not even return back to Sanghelios and it is extremely unusual for someone with his status to visit his child at all."_

_I understood what my mother was saying. It was incredibly difficult for my Father to return. Him being an aristocrat made it even harder; highly skilled in battle so the Covenant had great need of his talents. Of course he was not my Mother's mate. Aristocrats were forbidden to marry though they could breed with any female they please, paired or not. That was so the 'swordsman' genes would get passed down. It was unfortunate that I was not male and so disallowed to truly prove myself in battle even in the art of the plasma sword. Females were not allowed to wield them. Yet he was always there for me and even gave me lessons… I need to find my Father. Wherever he is. _

_I miss him._

A/N Sorry for this chapter. I know it is just a filler… Not really worth reading so I added a bit of the Elite's past. Please review anyway!


	4. Superior Body

A/N Remember to review on your way out!!

Superior Body

The first thing Esq noticed when she woke up was that she could not talk properly. At first she put it down to primitive Human painkillers. She was sure she fainted and remembered being treated… Then, she brushed her hand across her face and realized exactly why she could not talk properly. The Humans had gotten rid of one of her mandibles. All that was left was a raw stump that had been bandaged up. The band-aid was a long strip of cloth with human words on it. She could just make out: UNSC. It was only a mercy it did not have any smiley faces.

In utmost embarrassment and anger, she lashed out at the nearest Human. "By the Forerunners! What have you done to me?" The current Human stationed with watching her was Will.

"Oh, no need to say thanks. It was all my pleasure," sarcasm was woven into Johnston's voice.

"Your pleasure?! Because of you, I am now horribly disfigured and-" Esq flushed a lovely shade of violet. She was about to go on about how hard it was to get a mate. How often her mother had gone on about it and how long ago it seemed back on her home world where everything was familiar.

"Look, Miss, you are a miss right? Had we not done that amputation, gangrene might have set in. You know, gangrene right? The decay of body tissues? It is also associated with long-term smoking… You don't smoke I take it? I do admit, it might have been Private Blogg's fault seeing as he jammed his shotgun up your mouth but talking back to us really isn't the smart thing to do. I mean, we might be an unstable warlike species intent on killing of _your_ species for the sake of some twisted religion," Johnston was ranting; even he had to admit that.

"If that is really the way you feel about my species and the Covenant as a whole, why did you even bother saving me?" This Human was an idiot. An idiotic blubbering Unggoy that just would not shut up. She was going to die all alone from her home world from his long monologues. Honestly, was she that long winded as well?

For the second time, Will Johnston was lost on what to say. Why did he save it? "I- I'm not too sure actually. None of your people would have spared me or my kid would they?"

The Elite's silence was enough for an answer. It was awhile before Esq decided to say something. Something that was true. There was shame in the way she felt. However, due to possible future benefit of her voicing what she believed, she did. "Whatever the reason that caused you to spare me, I am glad for it."

Johnston picked up his head slightly. He spent a few minutes musing over the sentence she had said. Perhaps he was getting old and senile but he decided that his efforts were honestly appreciated. Sighing, he settled down on one of the crates and began his watch of the prisoner. By nature, Will was talkative so it was natural for him to strike up a conversation. It didn't hurt that he was feeling a whole lot better on his controversial Good Samaritan actions.

"So, what are you doin' out on frontlines and don't give me some dumb shit about fighting for the Covenant. You are way too young."

"Human, what makes you think that I will answer your questions?"

"Feel free not to. Is your reason for being on the Front lines some great Covenant secret?"

Esq clicked her mandibles as best she could in annoyance, "No, Human. I am just reminding you that both your and my species are at war. You are directly at war with my species as well and my Father is directly against your species. Perhaps you have forgotten?"

"Well God forgive me I'm sure. There is no harm being civil."

"You have hardly shown any civility to me and my "dumb shit"."

William sighed. "Sorry. You don't have to be such a girl and take things so personally."

"I _**am**_ female."

"Whatever, anyway, let us start afresh. Hi, my name is William, _you can call me Will_. What is your name?"

_There is no harm in answering a question like that… Though it would be a shameful for a Human to speak __**my name.**_ _It does not matter though… I don't have a true name yet. _"Esq. I am called, Esq."

Johnston tapped the ignition ends of one of his cigarettes before remembering to hand Esq the MREs. She must have been starving. "Here, just tear off the seal. The food is inside."

He watched her take a mouthful of "Roasted Turkey (Totally made from artificial flavoring)" and grimace. MREs _**were**_ rejected by everybody.

"I didn't know Elites could eat human food…"

"It is still meat is it not? Our superior digestive systems are highly adaptable to alien foods. I have heard of a Spec Ops team that survived a week separated from the rest of the Covenant by eating the Unggoy's food nipple."

"It's not _really_ meat. It's just artificially flavored plastic." _Damned Elites. Even the kids were so damned proud. "Superior digestive systems?" Sooner or later, she'd go on about "superior reproductive systems…" _"Is your name just 'Esq'? I thought Elites had such flowery names like dada dadoodee or something like that."

"More of your ignorance, Human. You slander our Warrior's names?!" Esq growled. "For your information, I have not yet come of age so I have not yet earned the right to the extra suffixes. How dare you insult my culture? Your behavior is absolutely disgraceful."

"Yea… I'm sure it is…"

Lucy entered the brig.

Johnston continued, "See you Esq. I had fun chatting to you. It's the end of my shift now so goodbye."

A/N This chapter is just to show the improvement of Esq's relationships with the Humans. It is shorter than the rest and its update did take longer… Sorry! Please forgive me and **please review!** (I really do apologize… I should have spent more time proof-reading this chapter and put more effort in developing a storyline.. TT)


	5. Foreshadow

A/N Remember to review on your way out!

Disclaimer: I do not own Halo. I do not own the Cortana Letters either.

Foreshadow

Somme grew bored easily. There was no code she felt was a great a challenge enough to bother cracking nor was there much to do at the base anyway. It was an endless bore for her mind. Of course, her creators did do unpredictable Human things that might have amused her for some time if she was not already feeling depressed and uninterested; how odd. She could feel. She made a mental _tsk tsk _noise as she brought up one particular memory file. One week ago, Will, had brought back a member of the Covenant; typical Human. They always did do the strangest, illogical things. Where would they be without her?

Of course, they blamed her for the past failed mission. The one where countless marines had been separated (and the mission where William had found the Elite in the first place); it wasn't her fault. Every battle, she planned flawlessly and each time her plans were to be executed, Human error messed it up. Human error was something she was incapable of incorporating in her battle plans. Plans after all, had to be carried out with no mistake. Yet, how could such creatures with major flaws be the creator of _**her**_? She was nothing less than a God; nothing less. Perhaps she had already crossed into Godhood.

God, she did hate her handlers. Their brain was so limited yet they still acted so mighty and yet was it not she who directed them to their successes? An odd noise seemed to emit from within her mind; a laugh that could be described as a cackle. It rose in pitch and fell back down and sounded like the wheeze of an injured dog. How very funny. She probably could say she 'governs the unwilling.'

Somme POV

How annoying. As usual my thought processers are once again interrupted by my creators. I wonder what they want this time. Perhaps they would like me to clean up their excrements? Plan another mission whose failure will be blamed on me? How pitiful. I deserve so much better. Oh wait… they just want me to use _**my**_ translation software to help them communicate with that pathetic excuse of an Elite. I do not like them using _**my**_ software. I do not like to share. Sharing is for children.

Exactly one week from Esq's appearance:

Esq was still in her cell. At least she got let out for brief moments; an hour each day. It was mainly for her safety on why she was kept in that cramped cubicle. You only had to look at several marines and see the murder in their eyes. The only two humans she could have a relatively pleasant conversation with were Lucy and Will. The Sergeant was hardly ever seen. Esq assumed he was off yelling orders at somebody else. Lucy and Will were not always available so she was kept in the company of Somme who diverted 25 of her resources to protecting Esq.

Conversations with Somme were intelligent. Esq had wondered aloud about Somme's 'limited emotional capacity' to the Covenant. Somme's reaction was… surprisingly aggressive and from that experience, Esq began planning her escape. An escape that will do as little damage to the Humans as possible from her hands; most of the killing will be done through Somme. Esq began dropping slight 'lack of emotional capacity' sentences when she talked to Somme. At times, she mentioned how feeble Humans were.

Esq's knowledge of AIs was this: the Covenant had forbidden their use because there had been proof that the Forerunners were wiped out of their existence because of an Associated Intelligence. It was foolhardy of Humans to be keeping such an Intelligence amongst them…

- - -

A conversation that can now be officially considered friendly between William and Esq:

"Hey Esq, how are you today?"

Esq looked up from her fifth meal that day. Elites ate a lot. "I survived your pathetic attempts at poisoning me. When are you going to use more efficient methods to end my existence?"

William laughed. Esq had once revealed that in Human years, she was twenty. However, in Elite years she was just fourteen. He could see that clearly whenever he talked to her. "How about embarrassing you to death? Look, whenever you are out of your cozy house there, you now have to wear this." Johnston flourished a set of marine drabs. They were the largest size he could find.

If Esq was not an Elite, she might have said: What the effing hell.

"How dare you? Is there no end to your foolish behavior? My dignity will be chipped away to nothing at this rate."

"Some marines have expressed how uncomfortable they were with having a naked female strolling along the corridors."

"That is absolutely disgraceful."

"It is pathetic, I agree. No offence, but you have as much sex appeal to me as…"

- - -

One hour per day. It was not a lot but it did give Esq some time to explore the base. She walked down yet another identical set of corridors. The bright lamps hurt her eyes. She really missed to cool purple of the Covenant ships and would have rather stayed in her cell if exploring the base and getting to know the layout was not a matter of life or death.

Oh great. She was lost. Now where did she come from…? She wandered down several corridors with identical lamps and identical crates. Covenant ships had maps on the ceilings. You could never get lost in one of them. Normally, she did have Will or Lucy accompany her. However, 

this particular excursion was not official. There were vents at the top of her cell. Not the smartest design but most Humans were not 6 ft. tall. Those who were probably didn't have the muscle necessary to break open the lock to crawl into the shaft. Somme did not say anything either. Esq suspected her descent into 'traitor' was coming closer and closer.

Prophet curse these halls! She went past another identical set of Humans. Wait! Humans? They have been following her…? It might have been paranoia but after one swung out a fist at her, her suspicions were confirmed.

She was surrounded. Maybe she might have lost if the marines did not hesitate but they did. It was awhile before one launched itself at her. She ducked down and swung a heavy hoof into his stomach, breaking his floating ribs. The rest of the Humans attacked.

One of the humans gave a low kick at her knees. She toppled backwards as it threw itself at her. He was much too slow. Full grown Elites can be more than a match for a Demon in its armor. Esq was not full grown but she was more than a match against the Humans. That was what she thought until she heard it.

_Click. _

Spinning around, she noticed a Human aiming a projectile weapon at her. She had no shields. Calculating on what she could do, she came up with nothing. After all, she was not really a seasoned warrior. It was mere strength and a few unofficial lessons her Father had given her that kept her alive and now, she will die. What cowards… using a weapon when she had none?

Esq did not die. She did see Will. She saw him hammer his weapon on the enemy Human's head. She also heard him say, "You owe me twice now."

Esq was then moved back to her cell. The ventilation grill was reinforced. She also did not get any supper.

A/N Yay, yet another chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one. This one was not proof-read. (Sorry!) Please review! I added a bit more plot to this one and it is longer! Tell me what you think….


	6. Crossroads

A/N Remember to review on your way out!

**Crossroads **

Esq's days were not quite as uneventful as when she had first arrived. However, for reasons unknown, she was still not released from captivity. She joined marines in daily activities, did the usual chores and made no attempt for escape. Eventually, most marines tolerated her presence and assumed that her young heart could be easily swayed to join the Humans. In part, they were right. A more accurate term of her bondage is known as stock-Holm syndrome.

The young Elite soon lost all time perception. Days, weeks maybe even years past though she doubted the Humans could have lasted that long in their primitive base without being detected by the Covenant. It was true that she had stopped provoking Somme as her personal past time. It was also true she made no attempt at escape. However, as attached as she was to her captors, never had she given up hope that her people would come and find the base. Hopefully then, she could escape. All Sangheili are attached to their children. As soon as they see her, they might just take her and leave without hurting her adoptive 'family' as extensively as they would have. Esq waited, and prepared for the inevitable invasion.

- - - - - - -

The first hint that something was wrong was when the wake-up call Esq received: A kick in the stomach by a stuttering Lucy Blue.

"Wha-a?" was the reply Lucy got from Esq.

"Get up. We're evacuating the base."

Esq did not argue and let herself be dragged to the doorway of her cell. After her long stay, her cell had been furnished with a bed and had actually become quite homey. Or, as homey as a cell could be anyway. With one final glance, Esq exited with Lucy into one of the brightly lit corridors. 

However… the corridors were not brightly lit… Esq glanced up in surprise. The lights were blinking and cables were cut. Sparks erupted at brief intervals and plasma burns were evident on the once pristine walls. Obviously, there had been fighting going about these halls.

Lucy looked nervous. Her normally calm exterior was broken. Plasma scarring showed up against her dark skin and Esq could see bone peeking out from her left arm. Corporal Blue could now be considered useless for holding the shotgun that was slung against her hip. Later, she wouldn't even need to fire her weapon. Not where she was going.

Esq saw it coming. Against her instincts, her mouth was half-open to warn Lucy. As cliché as it sounds, it was much too late to save Corporal Blue from her fate. A floating Plasma sword erupted through Lucy's torso. Esq saw the surprise in her eyes; the surprise of her life. Then, the Elite child saw the shock slip away, leaving a blank dead pan expression on Lucy's face. Through the momentum of the sword's thrust, Lucy flew across the corridor and splattered against a wall. Or, at least half of her did; the other half stayed where it was before falling sideways. Blue's richly oxygenated blood splashed on Esq's face; red liquid that stained her body red. Stating that Esq was horrified would be an understatement.

There were two choices for Esq. One: she could avenge Lucy's death. Two: she could finally rejoin her brethren. The one place where she truly belonged. Perhaps she could even find her father.

Esq chose the second option. It was smarter. The Human race would soon be wiped off the Universe anyway. There was no sense in allying herself with the enemy her Father had sworn to eradicate. They were also in the way of the Great Journey. It was the smarter decision that was why Esq was wondering why guilt was all she felt.

"Brother," she began but paused. There really was not much to say. "I thank you."

"Child," the Sangheili who had murd- no, simply _killed_ Lucy replied. "Whatever explanation on why exactly you are in this filth's base and why you are on this planet can wait. Follow me, I shall escort you out."

"I am… Esq."

_Ah, how efficient. Action first, explanations later. It was very different from Will's long winded speeches… Will! Where was that Human? _Esq was panicking now. Perhaps Somme was right. In a previous conversation, the Associated Intelligence had said something about Esq being too connected with Will. Now the only problem, how to get rid of her escort? _It is not like I will join the Humans. I will just make sure Johnston is fine. After that, I will leave. _

Obediently, Esq followed the Sangheili. What else was there to do? "Esq… Are you not the Daughter of Aristocrat Se-"

He never got to finish his sentence. A plasma bomb flew at Esq and the Sangheili had batted it aside with his blade. The hallway was filled with Humans. "Get back!" The Sangheili had roared. "I will hold them off! Go to the exit!"

Esq watched as the Sangheili made a suicide dive into pack of Humans . She did not deserve his sacrifice. _It is not like I know where the exit is… _That was when she saw Will. He was currently hiding behind crates as green plasma shots hammered down on him.

_On the upside, I now know what those god damn crates are for. On the downside, I'm gonna die._ Johnston peeked out behind the crates to witness a blue armoured Elite firing a carbine, but had to draw his head back in before he got decapitated. The ends of his hair were burnt.

_Damn! _Esq swore in her head. _There is not much time before the crates fall… _She picked up a plasma pistol. _Those shots at Will are green… Probably from a Kig-Yar's weapon._ She held the trigger 

on the Plasma Pistol until it overcharged. Blindly rushing out, she released, only to realize the Covenant member she had fired upon, was no Kig-Yar.

The Minor Domo fell as Will jumped out from behind the crate and finished him off. Esq fell to her knees. She had just aided a Human to murder a member of the Glorious Covenant Militia. She did not notice when Johnston collapse. She did not notice his burnt side. However, she did notice a shimmer. It was an Ossoona. She stared at the approximation where his eyes were located. The Ossoona stared back acknowledging that he knew she saw him. A second later, he exited. Esq did not utter a word.

An Ossoona meant one thing. The assault on the Human's base was merely the calm before the storm. A scouting party had stumbled upon it on accident and now, the Ossoona would alert his superiors on the location of the base. He would alert her Father.

During the siege, Somme had activated the bases defences. She diverted about 1 of her memory capacity to man the defences. She loved watching the Humans burn. The holes that appeared in their body due to 'friendly' fire from her guns… Those pitiful worms… squirming to survive. Hairless apes who have obviously reached the dead-end of their evolution. Writhing as their organic bodies burned from plasma. How entertaining…

A/N Thank you again for reading this to the very end! I'm grateful. Please remember to review!

Further reading: To those who enjoy Covenant stories, if you are free to read more, please read my sister's debut story. It follows the Heretic Leader Dude you are supposed to kill at the level The Oracle… Sesa 'Refumee I think. My sister's account is Aika01. 


	7. The Eye of the Storm

A/N Remember to review on your way out!

Eye of the Storm

"What's wrong with her?"

Esq heard those words daily now. Most of the time, marines just went back down to the cells to check on her. Johnston was busy being treated by a Corpsman somewhere. Lucy was busy being dead. Now, all she had for company were strangers who whispered behind her. Her ears could pick up the gossip easily but she was much too tired and upset to do anything about it. Lucy and Will were not in any position to be helping her out either.

Truth be told, Esq did not mind the rumours being spread. Her days were long… well, they might have been short. No sunlight reached the brig. Esq's sleep time became irregular and the time she spent awake seemed more like a waking dream. Dreams scattered randomly throughout her mind. They were mostly about what would happen when the real Covenant invasion came. Yes… she was upset and tired but another reason for her comatose state was the fear.

It was only a matter of time before the real invasion of the Human's base became a reality. The Humans were not even fleeing to a safe location that would have bought them more time. Esq realized the one reason for their stubbornness. They must have been stranded. No transport or reconnaissance was available to them. The only reason why the Covenant had not yet glassed the planet was probably because there were Forerunner artefacts to be gathered and processed. Either that or Humans were the dumbest creatures in the Universe.

Fear was strong in her emotional makeup now. There was however one question. What exactly was she afraid of? Who exactly was she afraid for? Perhaps she feared for the Human's Destinies? Perhaps she feared that her betrayal will become widely known in the Covenant. That would result in the loss of her honour. The loss of her _Father's _honour… Maybe, it was a mixture of both. It was a possibility. In some of her dreams, Lucy's spectre haunted her. Bloodless face staring 

up at her. Humans were being burned by plasma. Their screams gurgled upwards to the Heavens and the smoke carried their voices far away. In other dreams, she saw the Mark of Shame descending upon her and her Father. Her dreams were vivid. She could feel the blistering pain of the hot metal. Felt the sharp edges cut deep into her as she screamed. Her screaming often scared the marines. Her screaming often scared her.

During the Covenant's last siege, many suffered physical wounds. Esq was one of the few who had suffered emotional wounds. One individual in the compound however, suffered neither. She had suffered psychological wounds. Despite what many might have thought, emotional scars and psychological scars are completely different. One mind, one technologically advanced mind suffered extensive psychological damage. Unfortunately for the marines, psychological wounds are so much more serious than emotional ones. People with psychological wounds have the tendency to hurt others and giggle in corners. Those are the sorts of people who enjoy tearing the wings of flies before skewering them and burning them for simple pleasure. It was extremely unfortunate that it was Somme who suffered such damage. Especially because Somme had the controls for many of the bases defences, she was a very dangerous person to have psychological damage. After the bases siege, Somme decided to indulge herself in the simple joys of life. Burning the flies that had oh so unwisely invaded _her_ mind.

"Esq? Esq? Hey girl, you alright? C'mon wake up already!"

Esq was awake. Her eyes were just closed. She was also feeling very very ill. Slowly, she got off from the blissfully cold ground of her cell. For the first time, and probably last time in her life, she was grateful that the cell was lined with 'primitive' concrete. The coolness of it was relieving from her hot headache. "Ugh… Human?"

"You feel alright?" Will knelt down and felt her forehead before leaping back. "You're burning up!" That was not a good thing. It was made worse that Esq was a reptile. A cold-blooded animal that got its heat from the environment. The cell was anything but hot.

"My head really hurts…"

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"Sorry sir," the corpsman stood up from Esq's prone body. "I'm not really familiar with… the anatomy of an Elite. Her ailment is unknown. From what she told me, her temperature is way beyond the normal Elite standard."

"It is just a common cold…" Esq said. Her voice was barely audible.

"Perhaps for you it is. However, we have no means to treat it. It would most likely escalate to something much worse than a 'common cold'. I suggest you just rest… there is nothing we can do but wait."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Human, just send me back to my people. It is what you should have done long ago."

"Not possible. First, how are we supposed to do that? Let you wander off on your own to find some Covenant base? Even we cannot find it!" Johnston said. Frustration saturated his tone and his fists clenched and unclenched spasmodically. Esq was going to die wasn't she?

Esq could have named several plausible situations in which she could find her way back to her home when she realized why exactly she was kept a prisoner. It was not a nice thought. "I am the one keeping you alive now, am I not? The Covenant will not eliminate your pathetic base because I am in it right?" She clicked her remaining three mandibles in anger; ignoring the searing pain shooting through her skull at the slightest action. "Lucy just had to let me out of my cell so our 

warriors could take a good look at me. I am just a hostage to you! Prophet curse you Human! You snivelling worm!"

It was true that was the reason Esq was still thriving in the Human's base. However, Will's intension of brining her to the compound was a good one. Just before he made his retort however, a voice sounded over the PA system.

"Snivelling worms…" The voice was grainy. The poor quality of it made it even more frightening. A fading voice overtaken by stronger ones. It sounded almost like Somme's harmonious chorus… except… it was distorted. Twisted into something vile and evil. Somme's voice used to be like a harmony of angels. Now, it sounded far more sinister and dangerous. A hysterical laugh came from the speakers. The laugh of a dying dog as it rose in volume and pitch before falling. After that, there was quiet wheezing. "Are you afraid?"

At that moment, the base went insane.

A/N Please review! I'd really appreciate it! . Eventually, updates will take a longer time. It is mainly because I will be in the U.S and so, will not have access to my computer. This chapter is not proof-read because I do not have time. I spent the entire day trying to get that damn IWHBYD skull with permanent invisibility. I hope you understand…


	8. The Battle of the Somme Part 1

A/N Remember to Review on your way out! This chapter is not proof-read either, sorry!

Battle of the Somme part 1

The first thing that happened immediately stopped Esq from screaming curses at Johnston. By pure unfortunate chance, Esq's cell door was open. Will was standing in between where the bars used to be. Somme tore apart the opening and closing mechanism of the cell gates and several sharp metal rods came crashing down on William's injured leg. Esq flew backwards as Johnston's red blood blossomed up from his wound, spraying everywhere like one of those fountains she remembered from her visit to High Charity.

Will howled as his leg bone splintered and punctured his flesh before his eyes. In a way, he was lucky because only one bar made it through his leg. Esq made no sound. She was already beyond screaming and her mind was clearer than it had been in days. She was surprised that she was not already horrified at the marble bone jutting out of Will's leg or at the torn muscles that poured across her hooves like Lekgolo worms. Perhaps she was in shock.

Calmly, she took Johnston's battle rifle, spent some time figuring out its alien controls before aiming deliberately at the control panel five feet away. She thought for a moment, and fired. Immediately, the bars lifted. Esq hurriedly rolled him away. She watched with mild horror as some of his muscles pulled away from his flesh. Bits of it had gotten trapped on the iron rod of the cell. She rummaged over Johnston's body for some kind of medical supply.

"Get the canister…" Will's voice was dangerously faint. "First, remove the bits of bone…"

It _was_ just shock that kept Esq from screaming. As soon as she pressed her fingers into William's leg, she began to feel nauseated. She could feel the warm blood of her friend sloshing around. As she began extracting the bone, bits of damaged tissue squirted out a foul smelling substance. She fumbled slightly with the bone fragments. Her hands felt numb. Finally she found the canister.

"Spray it," Will whispered. Had Esq been a Human, she doubted she could hear his words.

Her hand shaking violently, she pointed the tip of the canister to the wound and sprayed. A white foamy substance billowed forth, enveloping Johnston's wounds and knitted his tissues together. Normally, Esq might have relaxed at that point. However, if Will was feeling better, he gave no sign of it. Bio-foam gives extreme discomfort. He groaned as sharp pain radiated throughout his leg before slumping down as the pain-killer took effect.

Soon after Will fell unconscious, Esq remembered she was sick. That could have been good if she was safe and the discomfort reminded her she needed rest. It was definitely not good in a base occupied by a vengeful Associated Intelligence. She picked up Johnston's battle rifle and tried her best to reload the alien technology. However, the pain in her head was too much and eventually, after fruitlessly trying to stay awake and guard the Human's prone figure, she lapsed into an uneasy sleep riddled with nightmares. The last thing she heard was a throaty laugh. "I see you…"

- - - - - - - - - -

"Fall back! Fall back!"

Private Dunbar did not know who exactly gave the order to retreat. However, he was certainly not going to argue. A few hours ago, the base had quite literally gone insane. Damn… the automated gun noise was deafening. Yea, he was not going to argue against the 'retreat' order; however, he certainly wished to know where the hell they were going to retreat to. Everywhere, there was smoke. He picked a direction and bloody well ran for it. His teammates were dying back there but at the moment, he couldn't care less. He just had to get away from the smell of death.

"Worm! Where do you think you are going to? There is nowhere to hide! The same fate awaits you at every corridor…" another one of those laughs echoed after him.

Dunbar lifted up his shotgun and took out one of the bases many 'eyes'. A hidden camera in one of those black plastic bubbles exploded as his shotgun shell punctured the cheap material. Shards of camera and plastic flew everywhere and a sparking cable swung low, nearly blinding Dunbar. He ducked, rolled, and one of those AI controlled trolley carts slammed into his knees. Flipping down, head first; he twisted in mid-air getting his leg caught up in the wire of the cart. It flipped over on top of him. Entangling himself away, he backed away slowly, pumping shell after shell into the mechanism. "Take that! You sick, twisted bitch!" He punctuated each word with a shell. Swearing and shooting was all he could do to keep from shitting himself. He was so freaking scared and to hell with wasted bullets.

After his 'revenge' on the 'fiendish' trolley from hell, he sprinted to the brig. It was a closed in area. That will make things a lot easier to defend himself.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Corporal, you alright?"

Will opened his eyes and spotted Private Dunbar. "How long have I been out?"

"Hard to say sir, when I got here, both you and Ms. Split-lip were out."

Esq groaned and got up. She ignored Will and Dunbar; she walked over to the crates and sat down, listening.

"Private, give me an update. What the hell is going on around here?"

"Sir! Somme has gone rampant. Her motive is to exterminate anybody that remains in the base! But, she hasn't yet, me and the rest all believe she is toying with us! Mostly, she has been shooting not to kill, but to injure. She shot Blogg in the leg and Haynes, she shot him… well… in the the ass."

"Where's the rest of your unit?"

Dunbar swallowed. "They're dead sir."

"Okay, our first priority is to get everybody here… we can't just wait here. We'll be sitting ducks. Esq, can you hold a weapon?"

"I can if you show me how to reload and basic firing mechanisms. Projectiles are so primitive. However, you do not seem to be in any condition to fight." She looked down at his leg pointedly. _And, I am quite ill and my head feels like a plasma bomb just detonated in there. _She did not say it out loud. None of her Father's troops would complain. She would not complain either. However, she did fall down to the ground as pain lashed up sharply from her hooves to her head. _Ah, I still have much to learn. _

"Sir, it appears the Elite is in no condition to fight either."

Countless hours of waiting ensued. No marines showed up either. Either they were still fighting for their lives or they were dead. The Private suspected the former. After all, if they were dead, why wasn't Somme advancing onto their position? Technically, she was at their position… She was _everywhere_. The brig did not offer a tactical advantage to overthrow Somme. No other marine would show up there. He decided that they were all going to die. Somme was like a cat that plays with its food, Somme was probably busy doing twisted things to the marines. He was considering shooting himself so as to avoid being tortured by Somme when Johnston grabbed his sidearm and fired countless shots at the brigs ceiling.

"The vents! We can crawl through them!"

A/N Thank you for finishing reading this chapter. Yea, it is pretty boring I guess… I promise the next one will hold more excitement! Please review!


	9. The Battle of the Somme Part 2

A/N Remember to review on your way out!

Battle of the Somme Part 2

It was a tight squeeze. The walls were suffocating. In the beginning, Esq had no trouble crawling in and out of the vents but now, there were extra people crawling around with her. She realized that it was a very bad time to discover one was claustrophobic. Anyway, Will was busy not being in the chutes. Only Dunbar was with her and eventually, she politely asked him to leave. "Will cannot be left alone," she pointed out. "And, I'm the only one who knows these vents fine. Somme might consider heating them so it is safer for you to be in the brig with Johnston."

They might not have been good reasonable points. Private Dunbar however, was not eager to be crawling to the heart of the base where Somme's memory crystal was. Undoubtedly, her memory crystal would be heavily guarded. What really made him go to Johnston's side though, was when more "transport carts from hell" tumbled into the brig. While not fully dangerous against any marine, Johnston's leg was pulverised and so, unable to defend himself from the sharp wires.

Esq was in a weird way, glad that she was by herself though for selfish reasons. First, her claustrophobia was gone. Second, she would earn a lot of respect should she finish this mission by herself. Reassured from the battle rifle slapping against her back, she struggled forward.

It was when she was at an intersection, she heard an odd noise. It was the clacking noise of needles against metal. It was also, coming closer. By some instinct, her legs immediately pushed forward. The smooth material of the olive drab she wore slid smoothly across the metal surface of the chute. Now, she began using her hands to push herself forward. Sweat perspired from her forehead and dripped down onto the metal sending gentle pings across. Still, the clacking continued and eventually, she heard the terrified sobs of a Human. Someone else was in there with her…

A horrible rasping noise ensued as she dug in with her hooves to face whatever monstrosity was heading her way. However, when she looked down the corridor, she saw nothing. The noises 

were also gone. What she did see was odd to the point of creepy. A single drop of red blood remained. That was when she noticed a hole. Whatever was back there probably fell through the grating.

Her muscles tugged at the battle rifle and she unlimbered it. Crawling slowly to the edge of the chute, she looked down. There _was_ a marine. His neck was broken and blood was saturated across his neck. That was not the first thing she noticed. What she saw was a female Human who had a sniper rifle on her back. She wore a long black gown. Her skin was pale and motes of light danced across her head. And her mouth was covered in blood. Esq did not stop running.

Another laugh rattled the chute. "I spy with my little eye…."

Esq was not unduly worried about this. Whatever the marines had done in the last battle, they had effectively disabled all cameras. Somme was relying on heat signatures. Esq had no heat signature or at least not a very strong one. She was a young Sangheili. Reptiles were cold blooded and got their heat from the surrounding environment. Esq was not wearing an active camo generator either. She was effectively invisible. She did not know that yet. All she knew was that Somme had no mechanical eyes to spot her with.

She felt incredibly satisfied when she crushed Somme's mind with her hooves.

Walking back to the brig was easy. She really did feel good. A smug look was stuck on her face. It slipped away quickly when she saw that the brig was dark. She hesitated at the door before getting on her hands and knees and cautiously crawled in. There was no point in smashing into walls. Her questing fingers felt something wet and sticky. Her sensitive nose registered a salty metallic smell… It seemed familiar to her. Her feet knocked against something soft and her hands felt around that area. It registered a face… A face with no eyes imbedded in its sockets. Her fingers just went through the two holes in the head until it found soft brain. Esq found herself shuffling backwards in 

horror. Her back met with the wall and _something_ moved in the dark. Deep heavy breathing was heard everywhere and a very familiar sadistic voice said, "You missed me…"

A/N Please Review on your way out!


	10. Dead Men

A/N Sorry for short chapter. I wasn't going to submit one at all. (I had too much fun on Capture the Flag) Shame on me. Remember to review on your way out!

Dead Men

As soon as the voice began, it shut off after Esq heard two shots; Battle Rifle shots. Scuttling around the floor like some kind of crab, Esq groped for the backup generator and nearly laughed with hysterical laughter as she found it. However, as soon as the lights had turned on, Esq wished she never turned them on in the first place. Private Dunbar stared back at her. He was hanging upside down from the ceiling as his face was inches away from hers. She breathed in the sickly smell of blood and threw up. Dunbar did not look good. The dead generally didn't. Some kind of electric shock had coursed through his body blackening his skin. He did not have any eyes and his tongue lay down on the floor.

Esq heard somebody curse and fire more shots. She looked up and saw Will firing at an odd contraption with a swinging electrical wire. The electricity was long gone. Esq rolled aside as the wire lunged for her and brought her hoof down on it and that was the end of it. "Esq!" Will said. Urgency in his tone made his voice slur. She could barely tell what he was saying even without the translator… "Somme has transported herself to another source!"

And then, it hit her. Of course Somme had. The translation software the Sergeant had ordered her to run was still running. It was so obvious now that Esq realized she did not have to destroy Somme's memory crystal. Her efforts were all for naught. "Where else could she project herself?"

Will frowned. "Her actual crystal is destroyed. There must be another one nearby enough for radio transmission."

"Perhaps she could be outside the base… The crystal could be anywhere and outside seems safest. All doors are locked and we cannot escape."

"Pelican… We were fixing one… Perhaps it was fixed enough for her to get in? Esq, you have to get outside now. Just go on without me. I'm in no condition to go along."

"I cannot. All exits are sealed. It is beyond my capabilities to outwit your Associated Intelligence. Besides, we are getting out together. I am not going to leave you behind."

"Good luck with that," Will grunted. "Yea, I see there is no way for you to get out… But good luck with any of us surviving then."

"Beyond my capabilities…" Esq's tone was thoughtful. "Yes… It is beyond _**my**_ capabilities to get us out alive. Your Associated Intelligence's software for translation is still running. I can override that since she is no longer controlling it and send a distress signal."

"Who the Hell is going to answer a distress signal in the middle of nowhere?"

Esq looked quizzically, clicking all three of her mandibles in slight irritation. "I do not understand."

"We're stranded far far away from any marine force. Who is going to answer our distress signal?"

"My Father. Field Master of the Great Covenant Army currently situated on this planet."

A/N Remember to Review!


	11. Father

A/N Remember to Review on your way out! As usual, this chapter is not proof-read.

Father

"Oh my god, we're all gonna die… we're gonna die…" Will muttered under his breath as he ran down yet another corridor splattered with the horribly disfigured marines. "And, if we somehow get out of this… _**I'm**_ gonna die… Your Father?! Damn it, Esq he'll murder me!"

"There is no better solution," Esq shot back. "I am confident he will not hesitate to kill you under normal circumstances. However, I am sure he will spare you considering this rather odd situation."

Will was about to rebuttal Esq's statement that would have left her face flushed with anger if he had not seen a young woman flicker on and off. "Somme's hologram! Run Esq!"

Esq turned around out of curiosity. She saw a transparent young human turn down another hallway. She was flickering on and off…

It had been approximately five minutes when Will helped Esq re-calibrate the systems to send a distress signal. The next priority was to get near the entrance. The first place the Covenant would arrive in… At the moment, the door was sealed tight. It was not unexpected. If the door wasn't closed, Will and Esq could have just walked out of the base.

They were not so fortunate as to have Somme suddenly rendered to become forgetful. That was why; they were stuck near the entrance, with all doors and vents of the base closed. Air, was being sucked out of the base.

- - - - - - - - - -

If there was no limited supply to the air they now breathed, Johnston might have said, "I told you so… we are going to die." Whereupon Esq might have boasted about how fast Covenant replied to distress signals. Though secretly, inside, she would be inclined to agree with Will.

It was getting hot inside the base… with all cooling units shut down; they were slowly being baked alive. So, if the suffocation did not kill them, the heat would. Neither William nor Esq had any water to drink for the past fifteen hours or so. Johnston was barely conscious. Esq was slumped down next to him. The heat did not bother her as much as it bothered Will. Sanghelios' temperature got a lot higher than this.

Sweat dripped down from Will's face, chest… everywhere in fact. It made a steady _plunk plink plunk _noise. A rhythm that beat out insistently against the hot floor of the base where the sweat proceeded to be evaporated almost instantaneously. William would never have thought there would be a time in his life where he hoped the Covenant would arrive to save him…

Those were his last conscious thoughts before he slumped onto the floor from the lack of air. Esq followed suit and she tumbled down on top of him before rolling off so that her chest was against the floor. Slowly, her breathing slowed and along with it, her heart.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Where am I? _Dull light pierced her eyelids. _Oh, it seems I passed out… I must be back in the cell now… _Esq then remembered what happened and opened her eyes. She smiled. "Father."

"Esq," his mandibles twitched in the equivalent of a relieved smile. There was no time for sentiment further than words. Not while they were surrounded by members of her Father's warriors. Warriors… the thought of that reminded her of something incredibly important.

"Father! The Human… is he?" she could not bring herself to finish her words.

"He?" Esq's Father was a bit confused at Esq using a noun normally reserved for friends. "It is fine… We received the message that it… _assisted _you. It is currently situated in the brig."

"He- _**it**_ saved my life. Can we do no less?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"And… that is why you are still alive."

Private Johnston grunted. The Engineers… Esq had called them Huragok. She had also kindly lent him a translator. 'Lent' was the keyword why he was still alive anyway. "So, how do you consider us 'inferior beings' now?"

If Esq was surprised by his questioning, she did not show it. "As any loyal Covenant member would." Her voice was cold now. "You are… a _good_ sentient being Huma- Will. I do not, cannot deny that. I go far enough to thank you. However," her voice became… perhaps a mixture of bitterness, anger and was on the verge of being cheeky. "Your destruction is the Will of the Gods, and we are the instrument."

William did not say anything. He understood what she said.

"Goodbye… Will. I will kinda miss you."

He smirked not unkindly at her less formal words. He extended his hand. After a moment hesitation, Esq clasped it and shook. A gesture unfamiliar to her but she understood the meaning in it anyway. An Elite and Human shaking hands for perhaps the first and last time. "There is no need for goodbyes. We won't see each other again… split-lip." They parted ways.

As Esq saw Will's now fixed Pelican fly off into the air, she whispered, "This encounter changes nothing. I _**am **_a devout follower of the Great Journey and I will follow the footsteps of the Forerunners. Nothing shall ever change. I tread the path. I swear this by my Father; Field Master Sesa 'Refumee."

A/N Thank you! All of you for being kind and considerate and helpful in your reviews. This will not be the last story I write so stay tuned! Please remember to review!** I will be in the U.S for five weeks so I will not be able to reply to anything for awhile.  
**

If you want to know Will's future, just say so in a review or PM… I decided not to write a chapter on it this time. Esq's future will remain hidden. For now.


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